As digital marketers and online brands, it’s very easy to get ahead of ourselves. After all, never before in human history has marketing been this easy, nor has being able to connect with people from all corners of the globe.
It’s very possible that a business in the United Kingdom, for instance, could find most of its business coming from Europe thanks to its online presence and the accessibility that provides. Even in a world where shifting trade deals and topics like Brexit still affects business connection, the sheer possibility that is afforded via these platforms is immense.
That said – it’s also very easy for digital marketing to get ahead of itself. When it’s not grounded, well researched, and focused, you’ll find all sorts of problems that intrepid firms run into. For instance, it’s not uncommon for firms to try and fake a viral video, only to be found out and suffer a reputational hit.
Bringing common sense back to digital marketing, then, means focusing on what works, but also avoiding a range of gimmicks that other brands seem so adept at jumping into. Here’s how to get started:
Case Studies Are Key
It’s important to focus on case studies of prior business histories because this can give you the insight you need. This might involve business marketing campaigns that have failed dramatically, those that seem enduring, and how certain brands might have switched up their approach.
For instance, if your brand is trying to act irreverently on Twitter in order to gain scores of likes from the public, think on firms that have inadvertently hampered their brand image via such a technique.
It’s also important to see how some brands are leveraging apps like TikTok to gain more online clout, appealing to Gen Z in order to appeal to a whole new set of sensitivities online in the same stroke.
Read The Comments
It’s good to read the comments on your posts, on online reviews, and more.
Sure, online comments will put you in touch with some of the most misinformed and frankly, impressively incorrect ‘takes’ you could ever hope to read, but sometimes, you’ll glean insight from a customer who has actually taken the time to pen their thoughts correctly.For instance, it might be that you notice your somewhat mysterious brand campaign is not generating the kind of curiosity you had hoped to, rather it’s starting to annoy those who just want to know what services you offer. It could be, then, that simplicity is key.
Use The Professionals
Of course, as a brand, it’s often the case that marketing is not our forte unless we are primarily involved in that as our business discipline. This means that we cannot possibly spend all hours of the day focusing on how our marketing will be developed, launched, perceived, and reviewed, unless of course, we’re lucky enough to have a marketing department on hand (unlikely).
For this reason, then, it’s a good idea to outsource this discipline to firms that know what they’re doing. Using the services of a premium SEO company can help you elevate your position in the search rankings, as well as develop a competent approach towards keeping that rank.
This might involve content writing, local citations, blogger outreach, keyword tracking, and SEO audits to name a few services you could use. Much like using a managed IT services provider, the more you trust in services to continually update your approach, the better your overall approach would be.
Invest In Your Strategy
It’s also quite essential to note that just because online marketing options have become more widespread and accessible than ever, a lowbrow attempt at gaining maximum engagement without much in the way of investment, be that financial or in time, is a mistake. You often see this with companies that continually try to replicate the latest ‘memes’ in order to cut to the heart of the culture, often miserably failing.
Don’t fall for this. Instead, take the time to sit back and craft your brand identity, to make it secure, and to keep it consistent among many different approaches. Then, you’ll feel much more capable when it comes to properly offering your services, and people will use those standards as a marker of the services or products you could provide them.
Perhaps the most common insight into stellar digital marketing is ‘don’t be lazy.’ This way, you can contribute something of value amidst the ever-increasing online noise. With this advice, you’ll be sure to do all that and more.
